Here we are, the first review of the Orenda Books Month! I’m extremely excited to share my thoughts, or should I call this a giant praising rambling of one of the most amazing stories I have ever read.

Title: The Mountain in my ShoeAuthor: Louise BeechPublisher: Orenda BooksDate of publication: July 23rd 2016Format:eBookNumber of pages: 300Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ and a half!

A missing boy. A missing book. A missing husband. A woman who must find them all to find herself. On the night Bernadette finally has the courage to tell her domineering husband that she’s leaving, he doesn’t come home. Neither does Conor, the little boy she’s befriended for the past five years. Also missing is his lifebook, the only thing that holds the answers. With the help of Conor’s foster mum, Bernadette must face her own past, her husband’s secrets and a future she never dared imagine in order to find them all.

Exquisitely written and deeply touching, The Mountain in My Shoe is both a gripping psychological thriller and a powerful and emotive examination of the meaning of family … and just how far we’re willing to go for the people we love.

Reading certain stories feels like taking a bath. You open the first page, tentatively brushing the water with your toe to check the temperature, and you relax instantly, you know you are in good hands. So you climb into the tub, you let the steam fill your head and your body soak into the water. The Mountain in my Shoe’s waves of words washed over me until it felt a print on my skin, emotions, and mind.

First, I owe Bernadette an apology. Because of her name, I assumed right from the start that she was an old lady with a cane and a shawl around her shoulders. I blame the wife of a former French president for the image that my brain created of the character, and I was so happy to see it replaced by a more accurate picture of the truth not too long after my first impression. Bernadette is indeed what would be considered an old name in my country and it took me a little while to detach myself from the cliché!

But I had a lot more to think about than just a name. Like some Lego game, every chapter places bits and pieces up and all around you until you are faced with every one the characters, standing tall and naked in front of you. It takes hours and hardships, it takes memories and every one of yours and their senses, it takes steps and emotions, it takes risks and leaves. They say “show, don’t tell”. Louise Beech masterfully introduces you to some of the most wonderful and tragic protagonists I have ever met and throws them into a taut and emotional psychological thriller.

But hope dies eventually, like a potted plant in an unused room.

So, when I read her name, I thought Bernadette and I would remain strangers to each other. The name did not appeal, it felt weird in my mouth, like when you pick a sweet in a box and realize too late it was not the one you wanted. But we met through the beautifully lyrical writing of the author and I was swept away, transported to the life of a woman I’d just met. I could see her move before my eyes, I could feel her pain in my chest. It all happened so fast that before the first chapter, I was far from my couch, my heart aching for a woman stuck in a dull life she did not deserve, in a distressful situation I wanted to save her from. I felt the urge to reach out and fight for her, which rarely happens. Yes, I feel for characters, I fall for them, but I usually don’t feel so empathetic as to want to solve their issues myself! Louise Beech gave me a friend in Bernadette, someone to root for, someone to care for.

She is late to her own life.

Then I met Conor. I used to hate kids and they always loved me. I was the teen stuck with the babies at gathering, bored to death. Now I don’t see many kids but I’m not interested anyway. My biological clock hasn’t started ticking, she is still sound asleep. So, I was surprised to react to Conor’s words, to his sweet childish behavior, to his naive beliefs and I was struck by his courage. I find children narrations to be difficult, but once again Louise Beech nailed it, as youngsters would say. I had this small, resilient voice in my head, hoping, swearing, fighting for his life, for belonging, for answers. The real voice of a child who has been handed bad cards by life.

I reckon family are like the sun and when they leave you get so cold your teeth chatter.

Richard. One of the most mysterious characters I came upon. My emotions towards him changed as different pairs of eyes stared at him, as different minds and histories recalled the good and the bad, as different people shared their life with him. I never felt so unsure of myself. I admit I judge, but I also try and understand decisions, personalities, actions. The author gave me a man I have no idea how to figure out and I am left wondering. Guess what? I loved it this way.

Don’t remind of the man you can be – just sometimes – because I’ve fallen out of love with the one you mostly are.

Other characters filled the holes in Conor’s history.Anne’s warmth reached me when I needed the most, when the tension was so high it felt like waiting for my own kid to walk into the room. A very special narration also waits for you among the pages, and while I expected it to be clear, cut, impersonal, like those kinds of things seem to be, it only showed me there was also light at the heart of a system that does its best with what it is given. I teared up the most at those heart-breaking snippets. I was waiting for them every time, whether they brought good or bad news.

To say characterization was perfect is a euphemism. Characterization is at the heart of The Mountain in my Shoe. Characterization is what makes this story an original and heart-wrenching masterpiece served by the superb writing of a power beyond any author’s dreams.

Torn and broken and shattered hearts are just clichés; really the heart quietly aches in such moments.

I was curious about the connections of events, of course. When I am given drops of life in clever alternate chapters, my appetite for answers grow with every page, as fast as questions and worries started to riddle Bernadette. Her husband gone. A kid gone. The mystery knocks on Bernadette’s door one day the way life likes to invite itself to the party. Of course, you think life’s ruining it with all that tension and those emotions you did not ask for. You had the whole day planned in your head, your own issues to take care of. But the beauty of it is that you even if you never know what it brings you, you must open the door and let it happen, even if it’s terrible. So, it is up to women (again and again!) to pick up the pieces and try to reassemble them to recreate a picture while pressure and tension is trying to crush them. The author plotted this story with the idea of women gently putting life’s shattered parts together to invent a different picture. Louise Beech created a tale of life in which weak and strong go together, tears and laughs are inseparable, things happen for a reason, and you can find beauty and solace where you least expect it.

I cried, I smiled, I laughed, I was frightened, I felt sorry. I lived this story.

Louise Beech has always been haunted by the sea, and regularly writes travel pieces for the Hull Daily Mail, where she was a columnist for ten years. Her short fiction has won the Glass Woman Prize, the Eric Hoffer Award for Prose, and the Aesthetica Creative Works competition, as well as shortlisting for the Bridport Prize twice and being published in a variety of UK magazines. Louise lives with her husband and children on the outskirts of Hull – the UK’s 2017 City of Culture – and loves her job as a Front of House Usher at Hull Truck Theatre, where her first play was performed in 2012. She is also part of the Mums’ Army on Lizzie and Carl’s BBC Radio Humberside Breakfast Show. How To Be Brave is Louise’s first book. The Mountain in My Shoe will be published in 2016.(from Orenda Books official website)

Thank you so much for your kind words, I like to write my reviews by literally pouring all emotions on the screen but sometimes it doesn’t feel the way to go and I worry I’m gonna bore everyone, haha. This is a very special and precious book that will stay with me for a long time! xx

Thanks so much Hayley 🙂 There were too many emotions while reading, I had to let them go with the review! I am glad you enjoyed it! I’ll now start worrying about the size when I reach 2000, haha! It’s the “too much blabber” signal I have set!) xx

I don’t think I could have gone wrong anyway with Orenda, haha, but this book… Wow, just it was not what I had expected, and it just blew my mind! The writing is so good, superb and inspiring! Thank you! xxx

Great review for this book Donna, and I’m glad that the first book you’ve read for your Orenda Month was a success as well. The Mountain in my Shoe sounds like an amazing book, and the characterizations wonderful as well. It’s great how despite not being too sure about Bernadette and Conor when you started you ended up really connecting with their characters. 🙂

I did not know what to expect because my first impression was that this book was not for me. I can’t explain where the feeling came from but I can say now that it was completely wrong!! This is characterization at its best 🙂 Thanks a lot!

Waffles! The very first paragraph of this review ❤ and the line "Reading certain stories feels like taking a bath.". Oh how many times I have tried to explain this people when a book is comforting to me. And here you have done so very elegantly. I never thought it would be possible to say, and I hope this is not taken offensively but your reviews are getting better when I did not even think this possible. I admit it, I find myself completely engaged in your writing.

I love that you so fully connected with this as I have seen it circulate a few times of late and been intrigued! Fabulous ❤

Aw, this must be one of the best comments I have ever received my lovely queen ❤ I felt so stupid with the bath image but it was exactly how I felt so I decided to keep it. Don't worry, you could never offense me! I take this as a compliment and a sign that less pressure is really good for my writing!! ❤ You have no idea how relieved I am to see you like this tiny review so much. What a boost in my confidence! I can't thank you enough for the support ❤
This book I thought would never suit me and then… I was proved wrong!! ❤

What a way to kick off the Orenda Month- fantastic review. You do have a way with words and it’s great to see a reader enjoy a book so immensely!
I always enjoy strong characters.. sometimes, I don’t even mind if there’s no plot, or they’re doing mundane things, because a strong/unique/relatable character is the secret ingredient!

Aw thanks so much, I always feel terrible about the reviews because (and I’m using Danielle’s image) I feel I’m just vomiting my thoughts and there’s no structure or clever words or anything to make them special. And I wanted this one to be special because the story deserves it! 🙂 Characterization here is brilliant, so if you’re looking for a character-driven fantastic and emotional story, look no further, you have it right here!

I swear I had the same image for Bernadette when you first mentioned her hahaahah I also couldn’t help myself from reading her name with a Quebec accent.. That aside, this was a fantastic review. Really does sound like the author nailed the characterization. #OrendaMonth seems to be off to a great start! 😀

Only you Donna can write a review so well that I am tempted to just leave the office right and go get the book. This sounds like an amazing read with such awesome characterization. I like the sound of the female MCs too. The book’s ability to make you feel so many different emotions is also quite impressive. Brilliant review!

Aw, thank you so much!!! I don’t want you to have issues with your job, though, maybe I should write bad reviews, hahahaha! The emotions were so brilliantly portrayed by the characters there is no way I could not fall for them 🙂 xxx

I have to admit that I was not familiar with Orenda publisher, until few minutes ago when I read your last post about publishing.
I wasn’t as active in the blogosphere lately (you probably noticed) so I feel like I missed something…

Thanks a lot!! I loved this book and the words came naturally but I was afraid it was more of me talking nonsense than a real review!
I did noticed you were missing, I hope you are okay ❤ I'm glad I had the chance to introduce you to Orenda Books, my goal is complete! 😀